Call Duck Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Call Duck is a Bantam breed of duck that comes in a number of beautiful colors.

As a Bantam breed, they tend to be a lot smaller than other ducks with shorter, bills, legs, body and smaller feet.

These little ducks make excellent pets and add a bit of fun and color to the back garden.
They are excellent show birds and they have a really fun character. They love to explore and can be quite inquisitive and entertaining to watch.

Although the eggs may be smaller than other larger breeds they will lay around 150 of them a year. They still make a decent meal and great cakes if used in baking. Though they will not give a person much meat they have been known to be used as a delicacy in some places.

The Call duck is a great starter breed duck that does not need as much space as other ducks.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Country of Origin:	Netherlands
American Poultry Association:	yes Recognized by the American Poultry Association
Duck Category:	Bantam
Duck Class:	Netherlands
Colors:	Gray, Date of acceptance: 1874 White, Date of acceptance: 1874 Snowy, Date of acceptance: 1982 Blue Bibbed, Date of acceptance: 1977 Buff, Date of acceptance: 1996 Pastel, Date of acceptance: 1996 Butterscotch, Date of acceptance: 2004 Chocolate, Date of acceptance: 2007
Good starter duck?	Yes
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Bantam Variety Available?	There is only a Bantam Breed
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APPEARANCE / IDENTIFICATION

DUCK BITS

DESCRIPTION

COLOR

EYES⇒

Same for M & F

Dark Brown/Black

BILL⇒

Same for M & F

Light Pale Pine

* Black bean tipped

CRESTED?

LEGS⇒

Short

Orange

Same for M & F

FEET⇒

Same for M & F

Orange

WINGS⇒

Depends on the color variety

See color varieties as per the table above

Similar for M & F only the female is not as colorful as the male

FEATHERS⇒

Depends on the color variety

See color varieties as per the table above

Males are richer in color than the females.
Except for the white and snowy varieties where the M & F look a lot alike.

SKIN COLOR⇒

Same for M & F

White

Can go yellowish depending on what they are fed

AVERAGE WEIGHT⇒

Adult Female:	18 oz.
Adult Male:	22 oz.
Mature:	**22 oz. @ 10 weeks old

*Bean: This is also called the nail. It is a small round bump found at the end of the duck’s bill. It is used for defence and to catch insects. It is almost like a fingernail and is damaged can grow back. It can also get overgrown much like fingernails if they do not have something to grind it down on.

** Note: This is an average weight for the male duck and not a guaranteed weight

USE/PURPOSE

Females/Hens

⇒

Historically they were used as a decoy duck for hunting, eggs, show birds and now ornamental

Eggs⇒
	Color:	White
	Qty/Yr:	100
	Size:	Small
	They will start to try hatch eggs from their first lay
	Start to lay around 25 to 30 weeks old. They lay consistently through the year
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Broody:	Yes	They get broody on occasion
Mothers:	Yes	They can make good mothers
Meat:	No	–
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Pets:	Yes	–
Show:	Yes	–
Prime:	7 yrs	They lay right up to between 8 to 9 years of age if they stay healthy

Males/Drakes

⇒

Historically they were used as a decoy duck for hunting, eggs, show birds and now ornamental

Breed:	Yes	Should only start to breed them at 6 months old
Start:	–	Start to get fertile at around 3 – 4 months
No. Females	5	For every 1 drake in a flock
Aggressive	No	–
Meat	No	–
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Pets:	Yes	–
Show:	Yes	–
Prime:	4 yrs	It is best to mate the younger drakes of up to about 4 years old

TEMPERAMENT
“Easy, calm and friendly. They are very lively and active ducks that get uploads of antics to keep you entertained.”
Good with Kids?	Call ducks have been known to be very good with kids.
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Flyers?	They are extremely good strong flyers and will fly any chance they get. It may be wise to have their wings clipped?
Noisy Birds?	They are extremely noisy ducks. They love to chat and have their say.
Interact with other ducks?	They are very sociable ducks that love to chat away with any duck that will listen
Best duck breeds to mix them with:	Any domestic duck breed especially those of the same size.
Other animals?	I would watch dogs and cats around them

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
“They are really hardy for their size”
Ideal Garden Size?	Small to medium
Can be Confined?	Yes
Free-Range	As long as the garden is protected
Penned Free-Ranging?	This may be a better foraging option as they are a juicy target for predators
Foragers	All ducks love to go find slugs and snails.
Endures heat well	Yes
Endures cold well	Yes
Special Requirements?	No
Ideal Duck House:	Any standard size hutch
Ideal Duck Pond:	A kiddie’s plastic splash pool or smaller shallow pond
Flock/Paddling Size:	2 or more.
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GOOD TO KNOW
Special Care/Attention Requirements?	They have no special needs
Known Predators:	Check with animal control in your area for known predators
Conservations Status:	Not Listed For more information on poultry, conservation status, check the American Livestock Conservancy Website
Breeders Clubs:	National Call Breeders of America
Where to buy them:	Check with Purely Poultry, Welp Hatchery or check with local suppliers/farmers, the APA or check with the American Livestock Conservancy
Other:	If you do not want to risk having your ducks shipped check with your local poultry farms for advice on your nearest supplier.

HISTORY

The Call duck is a Bantam breed and one of the first original breeds of ducks to be recognized and standardized in Britain in 1865. These ducks have been in Britain since around 1850.

The Call Duck was bred directly from the Mallard duck and was originally used as a decoy duck. They would be tethered to the end of a duck trap. The Call duck would give off a loud call which would be heard by the wild ducks. This would entice the wild ducks to come to investigate and when they did they would be caught in the trap. They would then be used for commercial use.

The origin of these lively and entertaining little ducks is not known. But it is surmised that they were originally from Asia before being recorded as a breed in the Netherlands.

The Call duck first arrived in America in the mid-1800’s where it was used as a decoy for duck hunters. Here the duck would be tethered, and it would give off its loud call to entice wild ducks for the hunters.
Using Call ducks as decoys for hunting was banned in America in the late 1800’.

The Gray variety and the White variety of Call ducks were admitted into the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association in 1874. With some more colors following through the following years.
Today the Call duck is a very popular exhibition, ornamental and pet duck breed in the USA.

Health

No known health issues. They are a very hardy breed of duck for their smaller size

Ducks need water to ensure they do not get “wet feather” disease. This is where the preening gland dries out. Water also stops them from getting pests such as mites, fleas, ticks, lice, etc.
Well, fed ducks should hardly have any health issues.
Any birds kept in a flock need to be dewormed. Although ducks are not as prone as other poultry they should still have a de-worming regime. Speak to a local vet or poultry experts for advice. Our article on Healthy Ducks has some great tips and advice on de-worming ducks.